Elected in March, the 61-year-old former attorney general only officially entered the heart of Korean politics when he declared his candidacy for the presidency last June. It came after he was courted by the conservative bloc for showing his hardline nature by filing corruption charges against a key aide to incumbent President Moon Jae-in – the man who hired him.
Described by colleagues as both fiery and gregarious, Yoon ran on a ticket to fight corruption and create a fairer economic playing field, while seeking to take a tougher line on Korea. North. His appointment as attorney general in 2019 came after more than two decades in the legal department, jailing many members of the national political spectrum for corruption.
Born in Soul in 1960, Yoon graduated from an elementary mission school, where he said he had ambitions to become a pastor, before deciding to study law on the advice of his father, a renowned economics professor. . But Yoon came late to the prosecutor’s office, only passing the bar exam on his ninth attempt in 1991.
Yoon loves people and socializing over drinks, and still has long-standing ties with friends who now hold key positions in government and business, his aides told Reuters.
He values trust among his staff and abandoned plans to send a group of Washington envoys after a media leak, only to relaunch it after North Korea broke a moratorium on testing. long-range missiles in March, said two people who worked with his team. These people declined to be identified due to diplomatic sensitivity.
Recalling his unique journey to the highest office, Yoon said on a recent TV show, “I wasn’t really anxious, and I slept well during the campaign, but since the election, I ‘m struggling to get a good night’s sleep.”
“I guess loneliness is what it’s like to be president…. You know, former US President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that said ‘The buck stops here’.”
As a prosecutor, his inflexible nature and his adherence to the rules have sometimes helped him climb the ladder of his career.
But his habit of antagonizing the powerful also earned him several demotions – times which, in his own words, allowed him to work on his cooking skills.
Its defining ethic? In a 2013 hearing that made Soul waves, Yoon told lawmakers, “I’m not loyal to anyone” – underscoring his obedience to the law, not those in power.